Papis Niang, from audiovisual to cultural diplomacy

Director, producer and artistic director, Papis Niang has devoted several years to audiovisual creation and supporting Senegalese artists. With projects like Ceebu Jën, the art of Penda Mbaye and DÉLLU SAARABA, he today intends to make heritage a lever for cultural transmission and international influence.

Make Senegalese culture known beyond borders, while preserving the memory on which it is based. This is the common thread in the career of Papis Niang, audiovisual and artistic production professional, who now seeks to give an international dimension to his cultural commitment.

Director, producer, designer and artistic director, he developed his activity through Art Bi Manageman, a structure that he founded in 2003 and formalized in 2009, according to the information presented in his professional career. Over the years, his activities have covered the production of video clips, the production of films and television dramas, the management of artists as well as the design of shows.

Read also: Gala Heritage: Senegalese culture shines from UNESCO to the Eiffel Tower

In a constantly evolving musical landscape, Papis Niang has collaborated with several Senegalese artists from different generations. His experience in artistic direction has notably led him to participate in the design of stage productions associated with artists such as Pape Diouf and Wally Seck. A work that mobilizes staging, scenography and visual identity to give coherence to artistic projects.

From television fiction to heritage documentary

The audiovisual sector constitutes one of Papis Niang’s primary areas of expression. With productions like Bégué Time, it is part of a dynamic of renewal of Senegalese television formats. Its ambition is not limited to entertainment: the image also becomes a means of telling society, its developments and its realities.

This approach continues in his interest in musical memory. The documentary project From origins to the present day: Mbalakh forty years later is part of a desire to collect and promote the archives of a musical genre deeply anchored in Senegalese cultural identity.

Beyond production, the professional is also interested in the transmission of skills. The initiatives associated with Full Art Académie reflect this concern for supporting new generations and structuring artistic professions. An important issue for a cultural industry which needs skills in the design, production, organization and promotion of works.

Penda Mbaye, the ceebu jën and the memory of a heritage
In August 2022, Papis Niang presents the documentary Ceebu Jën, the art of Penda Mbaye. Lasting 52 minutes, the film focuses on the history of Penda Mbaye and the culinary tradition associated with ceebu jën, an emblematic dish of Senegal inscribed in 2021 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Through this work, the director chooses gastronomy as a gateway to a collective story. The documentary does not stop at the preparation of a dish: it highlights the memory, traditions and transmission that surround this heritage.

The project then takes on a cultural and tourist dimension, with presentations abroad. In 2025, its presentation to the Parliament of Brussels illustrates this desire to discover Senegalese heritage in new spaces of international dialogue.

In 2023, Papis Niang is appointed goodwill ambassador for Senegalese tourism, according to information communicated about his career. This distinction gives an institutional dimension to its commitment to the promotion of cultural and culinary heritage.

DELLU SAARABA, an international ambition

With DÉLLU SAARABA, the Heritage Gala Paris, the third edition of which is announced for 2026, Papis Niang intends to broaden this approach to Senegalese history and traditions as a whole.

Led by Art Bi Manageman and its partners, the project intends to bring together heritage, diaspora and contemporary creation. From UNESCO to the cultural events planned at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the initiative relies on symbolic spaces to give international visibility to Senegalese cultural expressions.

This ambition continues through SAARABA WORLD and the Returning to Saaraba project, which aim to strengthen links between Africa and its diaspora around roots, memory and creation. The ËTTU SAARABA project, presented as a living fresco dedicated to the history of Senegal, is also part of this transmission perspective.

Behind these initiatives lies a conception of culture that goes beyond mere artistic representation. It is also about bringing historical stories to life, promoting traditions and creating bridges between generations.

Preserve identity, support modernity

Papis Niang’s career thus links several worlds: audiovisual, music, artistic direction, documentary and tourist promotion. Its projects demonstrate a growing interest in promoting heritage as a tool for cultural transmission and cooperation.

However, the issue remains that of sustainability. The realization of such ambitions requires resources, lasting partnerships and an organization capable of supporting projects beyond their one-off presentation.

From his first audiovisual productions to his heritage initiatives, Papis Niang pursues the same approach: making creation a means of telling Senegal and transmitting its history. With Ceebu Jën, the art of Penda Mbaye and DÉLLU SAARABA, he now intends to include this approach in a broader dialogue with the diaspora and international audiences.

“The world, we arrive with our home, with pride”, summarizes the formula associated with his project. A way of affirming that openness to the world can also involve a better knowledge of one’s own roots.

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